


Lifesaver

by Anastasia3000



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Lifeguards, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Lifeguards, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-25 15:18:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14979935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anastasia3000/pseuds/Anastasia3000
Summary: “The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite. ...The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme tranquillity.” – Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new story, hope you'll enjoy it! :)
> 
> (I apologize in advance for any language error)

Children would be the reason why she knew there was a high probability she wouldn’t make it till the end of the season. Screaming, ill-mannered little gremlins that ran in every possible direction and that seemed to multiply at an alarming fast rate with each passing day. And this little boy was absolutely no different from all the others - in less than five minutes Therese had to reprimand him twice because he kept pushing his sister’s head underwater, and now she was going in for a third. That kid set a record for sure. She had tried to explain to his parents that, due to the not so favourable weather conditions and the mounting waves, what he was doing to his little sister could not exactly be considered the safest thing to do, but to no avail – “they’re kids, they’re just playing” was all they had to say to her. Plus, she realized she really struggled with Italian, despite having taken classes in college. And Richard coming over all the way from New York to visit her in Forte dei Marmi in no more than ten days was the cherry on top – in that moment just the thought of it fuelled her extreme irritability. A nice start of the week, Therese thought, and that was just her second week working as a lifeguard.

 

**;**

 

Windy and cloudy days were Therese’s favourite days to work, which meant almost no people were at the beach. She would just sit there at her station, thinking or drawing, sometimes taking a few pictures or reading comics. That day wasn’t any different – a few couples, a bunch of parents with their kids, and up to that moment she had counted three people walking their dogs. Two labradors and a border collie. Phil had graduated from college a month prior – to celebrate, he had planned a tour around Europe with his brother Dannie. First stop: Italy. Then Austria, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Prague, Budapest, Paris, wherever the train would take them. Richard had always told her how much he wanted to travel around Europe with her, and around France in particular. The funny thing was that she’d rather do that with Dannie and Phil – Dannie was her best friend, and she had no doubt she would get along well with Phil, despite having interacted with him a handful of times. Dannie would be the first one landing in Italy, Phil would follow a few days after. Therese had warned Mrs. Robichek, the porter of her condo, that she had a friend coming over while she was at work and to let him in, and she had left her Dannie’s name.

“Come back here! The toy is not important, we’ll get a new one! Rindy, come back!”

The voice of a woman screaming pulled Therese out of her musings, and she immediately noticed a little girl being pulled down by the riptide. Shit, with the weather of the last few days she should have seen it coming. She jumped down her station and took a vest for the little girl.

“Madame, stay on the beach, or you’ll put yourself in danger! I’ll get her!” Therese yelled to the woman as she ran into the waves. Getting the little girl out of the water proved itself to be much harder than she expected – it had started raining and the wind tossed them left and right. The girl had inhaled water and passed out, so Therese performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation; another lifeguard had reached them to help Therese reanimate the little one.

“Mommy?” The girl said after a few minutes in a fit of coughs.

“Rindy! Thank God! I’m here baby, mommy’s here...” – the woman took her daughter in her arms – “It’s alright, sweetheart, it’s alright...”

While the rush of adrenaline subsided, Therese got to take a look at the woman. Blonde hair and blue-greyish eyes matched by a sharp facial structure, which immediately captivated Therese. Then Therese noticed the woman moving towards her.

“Thank you very much, dear, I owe you one.” The woman took Therese into an hug. She was a few spans taller than Therese, who ended with her face resting on the crook of her neck. First thing she noticed was the smell of sunscreen, and the softness of her skin.

_Oh my God, Therese! Be a normal functioning person and say something back!_

“Uhm... well... no problem, I mean...” _Nailed it, Therese._

“I’d better bring her to a doctor, as a precaution...” – she picked her daughter up again – “Thank you again.” And with that she walked away.

Therese just stood there, looking at her until she disappeared within the crowd in the streets.

“Everything’s ok, Therese?” Her colleague asked.

“Mmh mmh... just a bit sore, that’s all... I’d better return to my spot.”

He nodded. “If you need anything, just ask, alright?”

“Alright. Thanks, Toio.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Italian, Toio is a nickname for Vittorio :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! :) Hope this is not too bad

“Dannie, I’m home!” Therese yelled walking into her apartment. A loud snore gave away Dannie’s position – splayed on the sofa, asleep. The fish–like shape of his open mouth made Therese burst into laughter.

 

**;**

 

“Dannie...” – Therese delicately squeezed Dannie’s shoulder – “Dannie, wake up...”

Dannie rolled on one side, his eyes closed, “...what?”

“I ordered two pizzas, they’ve just arrived...”

“What... Why? What time is it?” Still squeezing his eyes shut, he slowly sat up straight.

“Past 7.30. I bought a pepperoni pizza for you, and a caprese for me. Are you thirsty?”

“Wait, slow down a little!” He rubbed his eyes and finally opened them. Therese noticed a few stray locks curled in strange angles and smoothed them on Dannie’s head.

“Alright, let’s start again. It’s past 7.30. We’ll have pizza tonight, pepperoni for you and caprese for me. You follow?” – Dannie nodded – “Good. Do you want something to drink?”

“Water, for now.”

“Ok, open the pizza boxes, I’ll go get water and two glasses.”

 

**;**

 

“So, where is that you’re working at, Terry?” Dannie asked shoving a slice of pizza into his mouth.

“At a beach resort. Lifeguard.”

“NO!”

“Yes... Remind me to send coach Hughes a thank-you email.”

“Oh man, I remember how much he insisted that you got that lifeguard licence.”

“The perks of being the best swimmer of the female school team...” Therese said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, cleaning a few drops of cherry tomato juice that had slid down her chin.

“Guess it turned out to be useful...”

“Well, that’s right...”

“Have you already saved someone?”

“A little girl this morning. Apparently she ran after a toy and the waves pulled her under before her mother could get her.”

“Was the mom good-looking? Asking for a friend...”

Therese spitted her water. “Dannie, you’re the worst! You’re not even worried about that little girl!” She smacked him on the arm.

“You said you saved her!” Dannie goofily smiled, the pizza in his mouth made him look like a chipmunk.

“But yes, her mother was good-looking...”

“Good thing she was though, maybe I get to see her at the beach...”

“I suggest you’ll introduce “your friend” with that face you have now...”

 

**;**

 

After a quick kitchen clean-up, Therese and Dannie sat outside on the balcony.

“I brought your things in my room while you were asleep. We’ll have to share while you’re staying here.”

“Share my things?”

“Share my room, doofus!”

“Don’t you have another room?”

“That’s Gen’s room. She absolutely doesn’t want people to sleep in there while she’s away.”

“And who’s this Gen?”

“Genevieve. My flatmate. Wait here, I’ll get us two beers.” When Therese came back, Dannie had his feet leaned up on the railing.

“I love the fact that you can see the sea from here,” Dannie said, “You got yourself a nice place, Terry!”

“I guess so,” Therese handed him a bottle and sat back next to him.

“Where’s Genevieve now?”

“She took a trip to Genova with her sister Beatrice, they’re coming back on Wednesday.”

“Phil’s also coming on Wednesday. Where is he going stay?”

“He told me he booked a room at a B&B here in the area. Richard will stay with him.”

“Talking about Richard, what’s going on between you two?”

“He’s getting on my nerves lately. Like, too much,” – Therese sipped her beer – “But tell me about your flight, instead. No Richard tonight.”

“Alright, no more questions about Richard, I get it...” – Dannie took a few gulps from his bottle – “Well, the flight was ok, no big delays or anything. Just tiring, you know, the jet lag, the long hours flying and then all the travelling to get here... And as if I weren’t tired enough, that Mrs. Robichek kept me down there in the lobby for forty-five minutes straight. Damn, that woman could drive anyone crazy with all that talking!”

“Leave her alone! She’s the sweetest lady ever! She kept me the best company the first week when I arrived here mid-May and was adjusting into my apartment and still had no roommate. Then we kinda started a “tradition”, so to say,” – a smile grew wider and wider on Therese’s face as Dannie worried more and more with each passing second – “each Tuesday we watch together either a film or an episode of a TV show down in her lodge. Tomorrow is our fourth appointment, you’d better not chicken out, Dannie.”

Dannie rolled his eyes and Therese swatted him on the thigh.

“Good Lord, what’s expecting me?”

“Oh, probably a replay of an episode of _Il commissario Montalbano_ , she loves to watch those Italian series. And she’ll be talking and talking...”

“It’ll be... a night!” Dannie sighed.

“If tomorrow I get you a place at a super discounted price at the beach resort where I work at, first row right in front of the sea, will you stay the whole night? I promise Wednesday night we’ll go partying with Gen and Beatrice, if you’re up to it.”

“Say no more, Terry.”

Therese hugged him. “You’re a treasure, Dannie. Another beer?”


End file.
